YOUNG AND DANGEROUS

Good-looking couple: Mark Damon and Lili Gentle

YOUNG AND DANGEROUS (1957). Producer/director: William F. Claxton.

19-year-old Tommy Price (Mark Damon) is considered a "bad boy" who spends all of his time chasing bad girls for "all-night petting parties" and showing no signs of doing anything with his life, to the consternation of his father, Dr. Price (Edward Binns). But when Tommy goes on a date with 17-year-old Rosemary (Lili Gentle) -- which initially goes badly -- she brings out some of the inner sensitivity that was always inside of him. But can they convince his parents that he's changed? This mis-titled film sounds like a typical juvenile delinquent-jukebox melodrama, but while it's certainly no East of Eden, it is a well-done and quite well-acted romance. Damon and Gentle not only play together beautifully, but they are very good actors. Gentle married Richard D. Zanuck (son of Darryl) the following year -- their marriage lasted a decade -- and only made two more movies before retiring. Damon made some other teen movies, appeared with Vincent Price in House of Usher and with Boris Karloff in Black Sabbath -- he made several films in Italy -- and is now a successful producer. Handsome and with considerable acting ability, Damon was geared for a major stardom that never quite materialized. Dabbs Greer and Ann Doran offer strong support as Rosemary's parents, and Binns is fine as Tommy's father. One very long sequence, filmed in one shot without cutting, shows Tommy's friends "Weasel" (George Brenlin) and Roscoe (uncredited) in a phone booth trying to make a date with an "old reliable" girlfriend. Meant to be comedy relief, it just stops the picture dead. Produced in widescreen for Regal pictures, this was released by Twentieth Century-Fox.William F. Claxton later directed the lovably notorious creature feature Night of the Lepus.

Verdict: Not bad light drama with very appealing leads. ***.

LURE OF THE SWAMP

Joan Vohs and Marshall Thompson

LURE OF THE SWAMP (1957). Director: Hubert Cornfield.

Simon Lewt (Marshall Thompson), who takes people out for boat rides in the swamp, is suddenly meeting all sorts of strangers. There's Lister (Willard Parker), who takes a suitcase into the swamp with him and later turns up dead; Steggins (Leo Gordon), who is looking for Lister; Henry Bliss (Jack Elam), a creepy type who wants Simon to help him find loot from a robbery; and Cora (Joan Vohs), who claims to be a photographer doing a story on the swamp. Then we've got Simon's nutty gal pal, Evie (Joan Lora), who is fond of taking shots at him when she's upset -- no wonder he wants to get out of the swamp! Lure of the Swamp is an odd low-budget affair (in Regalscope) that seems to exist in another universe. The performances are professional, with a vivid and interesting Jack Elam [The Girl in Lover's Lane] and Willard Parker [What a Woman] taking top honors. Former model Vohs mostly did television work; ditto for Lora. As usual, Thompson [Fiend without a Face] is an appealing performer.

Verdict: Ersatz film noir set in a swamp. **1/2.